Beverly + Dereck Joubert: Life lessons from big cats

Filmed: 2010-12-08

Beverly + Dereck Joubert live in the bush, filming and photographing lions and leopards in their natural habitat. With stunning footage (some never before seen), they discuss their personal relationships with these majestic animals -- and their quest to save the big cats from human threats.

Beverly + Dereck Joubert - Conservationists, filmmakersDocumentary filmmakers Beverly and Dereck Joubert have worked to conserve wildlife for more than 25 years. As National Geographic Explorers in Residence, the couple influences public policy and perceptions. Full bio

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Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

Beverly Joubert: We are truly passionate

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about the African wilderness

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and protecting the African wilderness,

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and so what we've done

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is we've focused on iconic cats.

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And I know,

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in the light of human suffering and poverty

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and even climate change,

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one would wonder,

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why worry about a few cats?

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Well today we're here

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to share with you a message that we have learned

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from a very important and special character --

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this leopard.

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Dereck Joubert: Well, our lives have basically been

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like a super long episode of "CSI" --

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something like 28 years.

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In essence, what we've done

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is we've studied the science, we've looked at the behavior,

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we've seen over 2,000 kills

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by these amazing animals.

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But one of the things that science really lets us down on

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is that personality,

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that individual personality that these animals have.

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And here's a prime example.

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We found this leopard in a 2,000-year-old

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baobab tree in Africa,

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the same tree that we found her mother in

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and her grandmother.

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And she took us on a journey

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and revealed something very special to us --

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her own daughter, eight days old.

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And the minute we found this leopard,

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we realized that we needed to move in,

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and so we basically stayed with this leopard

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for the next four-and-a-half years --

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following her every day,

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getting to know her,

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that individual personality of hers,

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and really coming to know her.

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Now I'm destined

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to spend a lot of time

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with some unique,

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very, very special,

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individualistic

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and often seductive female characters.

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(Laughter)

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Beverly's clearly one of them,

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and this little leopard, Legadema, is another,

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and she changed our lives.

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BJ: Well we certainly did spend a lot of time with her --

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in fact, more time than even her mother did.

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When her mother would go off hunting,

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we would stay and film.

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And early on, a lightning bolt hit a tree

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20 paces away from us.

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It was frightening,

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and it showered us with leaves and a pungent smell.

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And of course, we were stunned for a while,

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but when we managed to get our wits about us,

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we looked at it and said, "My gosh,

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what's going to happen with that little cub?

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She's probably going to forever associate

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that deafening crash with us."

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Well, we needn't have worried.

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She came charging out of the thicket straight towards us,

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sat next to us, shivering,

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with her back towards Dereck, and looking out.

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And actually from that day on,

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she's been comfortable with us.

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So we felt that that day

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was the day that she really earned her name.

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We called her Legadema,

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which means, "light from the sky."

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DJ: Now we've found these individualisms

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in all sorts of animals,

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in particular in the cats.

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This particular one is called Eetwidomayloh,

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"he who greets with fire,"

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and you can just see that about him, you know -- that's his character.

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But only by getting up close to these animals

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and spending time with them

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can we actually even reach out

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and dig out these personal characters that they have.

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BJ: But through our investigation,

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we have to seek the wildest places in Africa.

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And right now this is in the Okavango Delta

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in Botswana.

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Yes, it is swamp. We live in the swamp in a tent,

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but I must tell you, every day is exhilarating.

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But also, our hearts are in our throats

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a huge amount of the time,

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because we're driving through water,

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and it's an unknown territory.

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But we're really there

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seeking and searching and filming the iconic cats.

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DJ: Now one of the big things, of course,

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everybody knows that cats hate water,

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and so this was a real revelation for us.

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And we could only find this by pushing ourselves,

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by going where no sane person should go --

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not without some prompting, by the way, from Beverly --

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and just pushing the envelope,

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going out there, pushing our vehicle, pushing ourselves.

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But we've managed to find that these lions

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are 15 percent bigger than any others,

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and they specialize in hunting buffalo in the water.

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BJ: And then of course, the challenge

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is knowing when to turn around.

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We don't always get that right,

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and on this particular day,

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we seriously underestimated the depth.

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We got deeper and deeper,

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until it was at Dereck's chest-height.

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Well then we hit a deep depression,

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and we seriously submerged the vehicle.

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We actually managed to drown

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two million dollars' worth of camera gear.

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We drowned our pride, I must tell you,

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which was really serious,

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and we seized the engine.

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DJ: And of course, one of the rules that we have in the vehicle

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is that he who drowns the vehicle

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gets to swim with the crocodiles.

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(Laughter)

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You will notice also that all of these images here

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are taken from the top angle by Beverly --

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the dry top angle, by the way.

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(Laughter)

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But all the places we get stuck in really have great views.

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And it wasn't a moment, and these lions came back towards us,

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and Beverly was able to get a great photograph.

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BJ: But we truly do

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spend day and night

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trying to capture unique footage.

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And 20 years ago,

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we did a film called "Eternal Enemies"

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where we managed to capture

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this unusual disturbing behavior across two species --

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lions and hyenas.

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And surprisingly, it became a cult film.

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And we can only work that out

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as people were seeing parallels

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between the thuggish side of nature

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and gang warfare.

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DJ: It was amazing, because you can see that this lion

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is doing exactly what his name,

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Eetwidomayloh, represents.

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He's focused on this hyena,

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and he is going to get it.

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(Animal sounds)

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But that's, I think, what this is all about,

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is that these individuals have these personalities and characters.

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But for us to get them, not only do we push ourselves,

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but we live by certain rules of engagement,

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which mean we can't interfere.

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This sort of behavior has been going on

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for three, four, five million years,

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and we can't step in and say, "That's wrong, and that's right."

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But that's not always easy for us.

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BJ: So, as Dereck says,

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we have to work through extremes --

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extreme temperatures, push ourselves at night.

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Sleep deprivation is extreme.

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We're on the edge

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through a large part of the time.

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But, for 10 years, we tried to capture

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lions and elephants together --

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and never ever managed

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until this particular night.

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And I have to tell you

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that it was a disturbing night for me.

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I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

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I was shaking with anxiety,

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but I knew that [I had] to capture something

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that had never been seen before, had never been documented.

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And I do believe you should stay with us.

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DJ: The amazing thing about these moments --

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and this is probably a highlight of our career --

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is that you never know how it's going to end.

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Many people believe, in fact,

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that death begins in the eyes, not in the heart,

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not in the lungs,

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and that's when people give up hope,

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or when any life form gives up hope.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-184

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07:38

And you can see the start of it here.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-185

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07:40

This elephant, against overwhelming odds,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-186

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07:44

simply gives up hope.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-187

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But by the same token,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-188

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08:01

you can get your hope back again.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-189

189

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08:04

So just when you think it's all over, something else happens,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-190

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some spark gets into you,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-191

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08:11

some sort of will to fight --

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-192

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08:13

that iron will that we all have,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-193

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that this elephant has,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-194

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that conservation has, that big cats have.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-195

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08:20

Everything has that will to survive,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-196

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08:23

to fight, to push through that mental barrier

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-197

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08:26

and to keep going.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-198

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08:28

And for us, in many ways,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-199

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08:31

this elephant has become

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-200

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08:33

a symbol of inspiration for us,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-201

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a symbol of that hope as we go forward in our work.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-202

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08:37

(Applause)

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-203

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1

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08:40

Now back to the leopard.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-204

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08:51

We were spending so much time with this leopard

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-205

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08:53

and getting to understand her individualism,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-206

206

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08:55

her personal character,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-207

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08:57

that maybe we were taking it a little bit far.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-208

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08:59

We were perhaps taking her for granted,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-209

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09:02

and maybe she didn't like that that much.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-210

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09:04

This is about couples working together,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-211

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09:06

and so I do need to say that within the vehicle

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-212

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09:08

we have quite strict territories, Beverly and I.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-213

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09:11

Beverly sits on the one side

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-214

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09:14

where all her camera gear is,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-215

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09:16

and I'm on the other side where my space is.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-216

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09:18

These are precious to us, these divides.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-217

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09:21

BJ: But when this little cub saw

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-218

218

1

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09:24

that I had vacated my seat

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-219

219

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09:26

and climbed to the back to get some camera gear,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-220

220

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09:28

she came in like a curious cat

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-221

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09:30

to come and investigate.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-222

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09:32

It was phenomenal, and we felt grateful

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-223

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09:34

that she trusted us to that extent.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-224

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09:37

But at the same time, we were concerned

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-225

225

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09:39

that if she created this as a habit

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-226

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09:41

and jumped into somebody else's car,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-227

227

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09:43

it might not turn out the same way --

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-228

228

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09:45

she might get shot for that.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-229

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09:47

So we knew we had to react quickly.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-230

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09:49

And the only way we thought we could

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-231

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09:52

without scaring her

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-232

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09:55

is to try and simulate a growl like her mother would make --

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-233

233

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09:57

a hiss and a sound.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-234

234

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09:59

So Dereck turned on the heater fan in the car --

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-235

235

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10:01

very innovative.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-236

236

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10:03

DJ: It was the only way for me to save the marriage,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-237

237

1

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10:05

because Beverly felt she was being replaced, you see.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-238

238

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10:07

(Laughter)

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-239

239

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10:09

But really and truly, this was how

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-240

240

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10:12

this little leopard was displaying

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-241

241

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10:14

her individual personality.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-242

242

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10:16

But nothing prepared us

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-243

243

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10:18

for what happened next in our relationship with her,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-244

244

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10:20

when she started hunting.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-245

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10:22

BJ: And on this first hunt, we truly were excited.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-246

246

1

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10:24

It was like watching a graduation ceremony.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-247

247

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10:27

We felt like we were surrogate parents.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-248

248

614000

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10:29

And of course, we knew now

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-249

249

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2000

10:31

that she was going to survive.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-250

250

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10:33

But only when we saw the tiny baby baboon

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-251

251

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10:35

clinging to the mother's fur

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-252

252

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10:38

did we realize that something very unique

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-253

253

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10:40

was taking place here with Legadema.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-254

254

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10:42

And of course, the baby baboon was so innocent,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-255

255

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10:45

it didn't turn and run.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-256

256

633000

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10:48

So what we watched

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-257

257

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10:50

over the next couple of hours

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-258

258

637000

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10:52

was very unique.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-259

259

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10:54

It was absolutely amazing

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-260

260

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10:57

when she picked it up to safety,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-261

261

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10:59

protecting it from the hyena.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-262

262

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11:01

And over the next five hours,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-263

263

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11:04

she took care of it.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-264

264

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11:07

We realized that we actually don't know everything,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-265

265

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11:09

and that nature is so unpredictable,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-266

266

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4000

11:12

we have to be open at all times.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-267

267

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11:16

DJ: Okay, so she was a little bit rough.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-268

268

1

664000

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11:19

(Laughter)

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-269

269

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5000

11:21

But in fact,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-270

270

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11:26

what we were seeing here was interesting.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-271

271

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11:30

Because she is a cub wanting to play,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-272

272

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11:33

but she was also a predator needing to kill,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-273

273

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11:36

and yet conflicted in some way,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-274

274

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11:39

because she was also an emerging mother.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-275

275

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11:41

She had this maternal instinct,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-276

276

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11:44

much like a young girl on her way to womanhood,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-277

277

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11:46

and so this really took us to this new level

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-278

278

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11:50

of understanding that personality.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-279

279

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11:53

BJ: And of course, through the night, they lay together.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-280

280

1

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11:58

They ended up sleeping for hours.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-281

281

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12:01

But I have to tell you --

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-282

282

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12:03

everybody always asks, "What happened to the baby baboon?"

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-283

283

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12:05

It did die,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-284

284

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12:07

and we suspect it was from the freezing winter nights.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-285

285

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12:09

DJ: So at this stage, I guess,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-286

286

1

718000

2000

12:13

we had very, very firm ideas

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-287

287

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12:15

on what conservation meant.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-288

288

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12:17

We had to deal with these individual personalities.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-289

289

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12:19

We had to deal with them with respect

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-290

290

727000

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12:22

and celebrate them.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-291

291

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12:25

And so we, with the National Geographic, formed the Big Cats Initiative

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-292

292

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12:27

to march forward into conservation,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-293

293

735000

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12:30

taking care of the big cats that we loved --

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-294

294

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12:32

and then had an opportunity to look back over the last 50 years

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-295

295

739000

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12:34

to see how well we had all collectively been doing.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-296

296

742000

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12:37

So when Beverly and I were born,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-297

297

745000

2000

12:40

there were 450,000 lions,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-298

298

747000

2000

12:42

and today there are 20,000.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-299

299

749000

3000

12:44

Tigers haven't fared any better --

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-300

300

752000

2000

12:47

45,000

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-301

301

754000

2000

12:49

down to maybe 3,000.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-302

302

756000

2000

12:51

BJ: And then cheetahs have crashed

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-303

303

1

758000

2000

12:53

all the way down to 12,000.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-304

304

760000

2000

12:55

Leopards have plummeted

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-305

305

762000

2000

12:57

from 700,000

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-306

306

764000

2000

12:59

down to a mere 50,000.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-307

307

766000

2000

13:01

Now in the extraordinary time

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-308

308

768000

2000

13:03

that we have worked with Legadema --

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-309

309

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13:05

which is really over a five-year period --

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-310

310

772000

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13:07

10,000 leopards were legally shot

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-311

311

774000

3000

13:09

by safari hunters.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-312

312

777000

2000

13:12

And that's not the only leopards

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-313

313

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13:14

that were being killed through that period.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-314

314

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13:16

There's an immense amount of poaching as well,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-315

315

783000

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13:18

and so possibly the same amount.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-316

316

786000

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13:21

It's simply not sustainable.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-317

317

788000

2000

13:23

We admire them,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-318

318

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13:25

and we fear them,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-319

319

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13:27

and yet, as man, we want to steal their power.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-320

320

794000

3000

13:29

It used to be the time

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-321

321

799000

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13:34

where only kings wore a leopard skin,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-322

322

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13:36

but now throughout rituals and ceremonies,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-323

323

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13:39

traditional healers and ministers.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-324

324

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13:41

And of course, looking at this lion paw

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-325

325

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13:44

that has been skinned,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-326

326

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13:47

it eerily reminds me

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-327

327

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13:49

of a human hand,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-328

328

816000

2000

13:51

and that's ironic, because their fate is in our hands.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-329

329

818000

3000

13:53

DJ: There's a burgeoning bone trade.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-330

330

1

821000

2000

13:56

South Africa just released some lion bones onto the market.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-331

331

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3000

13:58

Lion bones and tiger bones look exactly the same,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-332

332

826000

3000

14:01

and so in a stroke, the lion bone industry

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-333

333

829000

3000

14:04

is going to wipe out all the tigers.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-334

334

832000

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14:07

So we have a real problem here,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-335

335

835000

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14:10

no more so than the lions do, the male lions.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-336

336

837000

3000

14:12

So the 20,000 lion figure that you just saw

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-337

337

840000

3000

14:15

is actually a red herring,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-338

338

843000

2000

14:18

because there may be 3,000 or 4,000 male lions,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-339

339

845000

3000

14:20

and they all are actually

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-340

340

848000

2000

14:23

infected with the same disease.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-341

341

850000

2000

14:25

I call it complacency --

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-342

342

852000

2000

14:27

our complacency.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-343

343

854000

2000

14:29

Because there's a sport, there's an activity going on

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-344

344

856000

3000

14:31

that we're all aware of, that we condone.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-345

345

859000

3000

14:34

And that's probably because we haven't seen it

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-346

346

865000

2000

14:40

like we are today.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-347

347

867000

2000

14:42

BJ: And you have to know

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-348

348

1

871000

2000

14:46

that, when a male lion is killed,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-349

349

873000

2000

14:48

it completely disrupts the whole pride.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-350

350

875000

3000

14:50

A new male comes into the area

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-351

351

878000

2000

14:53

and takes over the pride,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-352

352

880000

2000

14:55

and, of course, first of all kills all the cubs

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-353

353

882000

3000

14:57

and possibly some of the females that are defending their cubs.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-354

354

885000

3000

15:00

So we've estimated

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-355

355

888000

2000

15:03

that between 20 [and] 30 lions are killed

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-356

356

890000

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15:05

when one lion is hanging on a wall

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-357

357

893000

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15:08

somewhere in a far-off place.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-358

358

896000

2000

15:11

DJ: So what our investigations have shown

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-359

359

1

898000

2000

15:13

is that these lions are essential.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-360

360

900000

2000

15:15

They're essential to the habitat.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-361

361

902000

2000

15:17

If they disappear,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-362

362

904000

2000

15:19

whole ecosystems in Africa disappear.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-363

363

906000

3000

15:21

There's an 80-billion-dollar-a-year

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-364

364

909000

2000

15:24

ecotourism revenue stream into Africa.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-365

365

911000

3000

15:26

So this is not just a concern about lions;

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-366

366

914000

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15:29

it's a concern about communities in Africa as well.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-367

367

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15:32

If they disappear, all of that goes away.

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-368

368

920000

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15:35

But what I'm more concerned about in many ways

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-369

369

923000

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15:38

is that, as we de-link ourselves from nature,

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-370

370

926000

3000

15:41

as we de-link ourselves spiritually

http://e-vid.net/v/en/1039-371

371

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from these animals,

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we lose hope,

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we lose that spiritual connection,

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our dignity, that thing within us

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that keeps us connected to the planet.

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BJ: So you have to know, looking into the eyes

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of lions and leopards right now,

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it is all about critical awareness.

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And so what we are doing,

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in February, we're bringing out a film called "The Last Lion,"

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and "The Last Lion" is exactly

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what is happening right now.

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That is the situation we're in --

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the last lions.

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That is, if we don't take action and do something,

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these plains will be completely devoid

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of big cats,

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and then, in turn, everything else will disappear.

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And simply, if we can't protect them,

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we're going to have a job protecting ourselves as well.

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DJ: And in fact, that original thing that we spoke about

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and designed our lives by --

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that conservation was all about respect

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and celebration --

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is probably true. That's really what it needs.

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We need it. We respect and celebrate each other

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as a man and a woman, as a community

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and as part of this planet,

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and we need to continue that.

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And Legadema?

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Well we can report, in fact,

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that we're grandparents.

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(Laughter)

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BJ/DJ: Thank you very much.

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(Applause)

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Related contents:

About the Speaker:

Beverly + Dereck Joubert - Conservationists, filmmakersDocumentary filmmakers Beverly and Dereck Joubert have worked to conserve wildlife for more than 25 years. As National Geographic Explorers in Residence, the couple influences public policy and perceptions.

Why you should listen

For nearly three decades, conservationists Beverly and Dereck Joubert have celebrated nature and wildlife in documentaries, books, scientific journals, photographs and magazine articles. The couple’s arresting visual work—which includes the widely viewed film Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyena -- has earned them five Emmys and many other awards. The Jouberts, both National Geographic Explorers in Residence based in Botswana, are dedicated to understanding and preserving key species throughout the African continent. The couple is particularly interested in large predators, and lead the Big Cats Initiative, a campaign to stop dwindling populations and bolster public awareness.

Beverly and Dereck are also building a new model for preservation as partners in Great Plains Conservation. Striking a balance of preservation, community and commerce, GPC aims to save endangered habitats in Africa and surrounding the Indian Ocean through low-impact tourism and the sale of carbon credits and villas or bush homes.